BOOK BOND REVIEW: Raymond Benson's all time high

As we approach the Five Year Anniversary of its publication, I thought it was time to look back at what many fans now consider to be one of Raymond Benson’s best James Bond novels, High Time To Kill.

In his third original Bond adventure, Benson is highly experimental in his use of a single setting for much of the story while, at the same time, still deftly adhering to the classic James Bond formula. No “continuation novel” demonstrates a better understanding of what makes a classic Bond thriller, and High Time To Kill surpasses even some of Fleming’s books in this regard.

The first half of the novel finds OO7 in familiar, glamorous settings: The Bahamas, Belgium, behind the wheel of the DB5. Yet it’s the realistic beating Bond takes at the hands of the obligatory oversized henchman that signals High Time To Kill is going to be veer off into new territory. And does it ever!

The villain’s ingenuous plan to smuggle a Top Secret formula (Skin 17) into China is waylaid by fate — a plane crash. Suddenly, the chess board is scrambled in a twist that is far more satisfying than any of the double or triple crosses that have been so overused. Bond joins a mountaineering team in the Himalayas, and races against the clock to reach the downed plane before the baddies. The remainder of the novel plays out on the rocky slops of Kangchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak.

James Bond meets Cliffhanger? Why not?

What unfolds is an adventure unlike anything we’ve ever seen Bond participate in before — yet all the Bondian ingredients are firmly in place: Villain, sidekick, Bond girl, breathtaking locales (literally this time), gadgets, exotic culture, set-piece showdown and coda. But every one of these “classic” elements (which in the movies have drifted toward clichés) feels 100% fresh because it’s all set within the context of a reality-based high concept idea: Mountain climbing. The overlaying believability of the concept elevates the characters and makes High Time To Kill truly suspenseful in a From Russia With Love sort of way. Benson has never fleshed out a location better — which is ironic seeing as Benson was unable to take a planned research trip to Nepal for this book.

Even the almost always fumbled “this time it’s personal” element works perfectly here. We understand that the villain is driven by his competitive masculine/sexual ego (a subtext of almost all Bond villains), but the possibility of altitude sickness motivates his megalomania in a completely believable way. The ice axe throwing competition is as gripping as any casino face off. Bond catching a glimpse of Hope Kendell undressing in her small pup-tent is much sexier than Halle Berry bursting from the sea like a Bond Girl Jack in the Box. Bond’s sidekick, a Sherpa, is indispensable in a way most Bond sidekicks are not. The “gadgets,” cutting edge climbing equipment, are real, but still exotic. And what better test of OO7′s stamina than a savage mountain climbing expedition? There is a return to the idea of OO7 as a master of the extreme sport in this book that is very much a part to the world of Ian Fleming’s James Bond. In fact, I think Fleming would have eventually written a book just like High Time To Kill.

This is also the book in which Benson begins what no Bond continuation novelist (or, of late, Eon) has ventured to do; develop a SPECTRE-like criminal organization, complete with Blofeld-like mastermind, that would return to menace Bond in subsequent adventures. High Time To Kill was the start of what became known as “The Union Trilogy,” an idea embraced by Bond fans and nicely fleshed out in Benson’s next two books, Doubleshot and Never Dream of Dying.

There’s more, but suffice to say High Time To Kill is the perfect fusion of the high-concept Bond formula and the completely believable and dangerous world of high-altitude mountain climbing. If you’re looking to sample a non-Fleming James Bond novel, THIS is the one to get. It’s truly Raymond Benson’s “all time high.”

Flawed print run makes DIE ANOTHER DAY novelization extra rare

Fans of collecting James Bond first editions will have hopefully snapped up a first printing of Raymond Benson’s Die Another Day novelisation in hardcover, because if you didn’t, you may be out of luck. Printed in small quantities anyway (due to the fact it was published simultaneously as a paperback) it’s come to light that the first print run of the Die Another Day hardcover was flawed.

Apparently, a production error produced a batch of copies, the exact number is unknown, that had pages cut short. These flawed copies were destroyed and the remains of the publisher’s stock double-checked. This is according to several online book dealers. Author Benson confirmed the production flaw, but confessed that he didn’t know if the short pages were the sole reason for the recall. Regardless, the book has already been issued in a second edition to meet demand. This means unflawed first editions are exceedingly rare!

It looks like Die Another Day could very well become one of the most difficult of the post-Fleming Bond books to find in a true first edition, rivaling Tomorrow Never Dies, GoldenEye, and COLD, all of which currently sell for $300 and up.

A true first edition of Die Another Day is identified by the number string of 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page. All the numbers must be there. If the “1″ is missing, it means the novelisation is a second edition.

BOOK BOND REVIEW: Welcome back to Japan, Mr. Bond

Having shown he can work outside the rules of convention in his brilliant Union Trilogy, Raymond Benson returns to the formula in his sixth book, The Man With The Red Tattoo, and delivers his most traditional Bond adventure since The Facts of Death. But this is a Benson with a much surer grasp on his skills than he had in his sophomore outing, and like the rocket ride it is, The Man With The Red Tattoo instantly achieves a pitch perfect mix of classic plot, action, and depth of character that recalls Fleming at his best. (In pace and tone, I’m reminded of Dr. No, coincidentally, Fleming’s sixth book as well). While I would still classify Never Dream of Dying as Benson’s best “novel,” The Man With The Red Tattoo is Benson’s most perfectly realized Bond “thriller” to date with a strong sense of location and the best caper of them all.

Some may fault Benson for following convention a little too closely this time out, but I don’t. In an era of contrived attempts to “personalize” Bond’s missions or “peel back the layers” of Bond’s psyche, it’s refreshing to have a straightforward Bond-on-a-dangerous-assignment-in-an-exotic-locale adventure. This time, Mr. Bond, it isn’t personal. Halleluiah! Even the return of the Walther PPK seems to be Benson’s way of saying, “Let’s just use what has always worked and enough with the self-conscious ‘updating’ of the character.” In this way, I think Red Tattoo is well ahead of the curve. (Of course, this has been true of the Benson books and is one of the reasons I look forward to the books as much as I do the films.)

But this doesn’t mean Red Tattoo is lacking in character depth. Just the opposite is true. Japan holds dark memories for Bond, and that aspect is not ignored. Whereas John Gardner might have given a passing reference to Bond’s legendary ordeal in You Only Live Twice (if even that), Benson uses the “ghosts” of Bond’s past as a full-fledged complication. Fans will not be disappointed in how Benson weaves elements of the Fleming masterpiece into this current book. The end of chapter 17 will certainly move Bond fans.

Benson always referred to this book as “The Japan Book,” and now I see why. Japan is very much a character in this novel–in many ways, the main character–both ally and nemesis to 007. After so long, it’s thrilling to have a Bond story take place in one locale instead of globetrotting from one scenic set piece to the next. Anchoring Bond in one locale gives Benson a chance to flesh out the country with wonderful cultural details. It’s Benson’s attention to these details and his ability to weave them into the plot in highly entertaining ways that make his books the best of all the post-Fleming adventures. It’s where Red Tattoo excels.

As far as flesh and blood characters go, Bond girl Reiko Tamura is highly appealing in her role as Bond’s agent partner (definitely a traditional role here). Her performance in the spectacular Seikan Tunnel sequence is particularly memorable. Wayward wild child Mayumi is less appealing, especially in contrast to the more mature Reiko. Goro Yoshida (the man with the red tattoo) is a Blofeld-type villain who remains mostly off screen until the end. Yoshida’s henchman, “Kappa,” is Benson’s most delightfully bizarre killer since Margarita Piel in Doubleshot. Bond’s ally, Tiger Tanaka, makes a wonderful addition from the past although one does note the absence of the hyper-masculinity and sexism that so codified their friendship in the Fleming book. And–and this is as close to a *SPOILER* as I will come–fans who worry about another Never Dream of Dying type “twist” to the character… need not worry.

Fans of action will not be disappointed as gunfights and fistfights abound in Red Tattoo. It’s probably Benson’s most violent book to date–the body count is quite high–but this seems to be in keeping with the Asian action movie milieu the book frequently evokes. Surprisingly, Benson has retreated to an almost Gardneresque modesty in his sex scenes, possibly due to the unfair drubbing he’s taken by the more puritanical factions of fandom for trying to return a measure of kinky sexuality to the books. The methodology of the villain’s master plan is ingenious and is the best conceived caper we’ve had, book or film, in quite some time. The use of Yoshida’s deadly “assassins” throughout the book is pure Bond. And speaking of films, have I mentioned that Red Tattoo would make an amazing Bond movie? Well, it would.

My one complaint would be that the Major Boothroyd scene seems a bit labored. But “Q,” a creation of the films, has never been a comfortable fit in the world of the literary Bond, and one gets the feeling that Benson is forced to include him. In the same vein but on a more positive note, having thoroughly explored Bond’s relationship with “M” and her cohorts in the past few books, Benson wisely blasts past these obligatory scenes and gets Bond right into action. Again, Benson is bang on target with his choices here. I for one don’t need another dramatic conflict between Bond and “M” for quite a while.

Publisher Hodder & Stoughton did not exactly burden themselves in coming up with an overly creative dust jacket design this time, but it will do. As always, the U.S. edition published by Putnam is better bound and printed on better paper with superior typeset.

For the seasoned Bond fan, The Man With The Red Tattoo is the perfect book at the perfect time. For those who have yet to read a Bond book and are looking for a classic cocktail of Bondian action, suspense, and exotic locales, you would be well advised to start right here.

NEVER DREAM OF DYING large print released in UK

A large print Edition of Raymond Benson’s latest James Bond adventure, Never Dream of Dying, has been released in the UK. The large print edition is published by Chivers Press is available from amazon.co.uk.